At first, Pancham seemed a little reluctant.
But deep down, Pancham was a proud little Pokémon—it cared a lot about appearances.
When Serena gently spoke from the heart, explaining her own dream of becoming a Pokémon Performer and competing in the Rookie Class Pokémon Showcase, Pancham finally agreed to battle her.
Serena's Fennekin had remarkable potential—blue-tier talent.
Though it was still unevolved, it had already mastered powerful moves like Flamethrower and Hidden Power, making it a strong battler despite its early stage.
Ash, with his Eye of Insight, could see that Pancham wasn't weak either. It possessed Red-tier potential—strong enough to rival a Gym Leader's Pokémon.
What's more, it had even learned Dark Pulse, giving it a solid offense.
Because Serena had been traveling with Ash all this time, she had unknowingly picked up a few battle strategies.
Though she was nervous at the start, she quickly found her footing in the match.
Once she steadied herself, Serena cleverly combined Fennekin's sharp claws with Flamethrower and Hidden Power, using them with precision.
And with that—she successfully captured Pancham!
This marked Serena's very first Pokémon capture.
From now on, she would journey with Fennekin and Pancham at her side, exploring how to shine brilliantly on the stage of Pokémon Performances.
------
Leaving Lagoon Town behind, the group arrived at a place that held special meaning for Clemont.
This town was where he had gone to school as a child.
His father, Meyer, had always hoped Clemont would use electricity to create inventions that could shape the future. So, he sent him here to study electrical engineering and Pokémon technology.
Within the city stood one of Clemont's greatest achievements from his school days—a fully functional power device, named after him.
"This is the Clemontic Gear," Clemont explained proudly. "Any Electric-type Pokémon that steps inside can automatically recharge its energy."
"Yes, yes! This is definitely one of my big brother's proudest inventions!" Bonnie added excitedly.
Though Clemont could be unreliable at times, the Clemontic Shower was one of his most successful and reliable creations.
"Come on, Dedenne and Pikachu—try it out!"
"Dedenne!"
"Pika!"
Both Electric-types hopped inside the machine, immediately receiving a refreshing boost of energy. They chirped happily, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Wow, Clemont, this is actually pretty impressive. I thought you only invented things that… exploded," Serena teased playfully.
Before Clemont could respond, a familiar voice came from behind them.
"Ah! Isn't that Clemont?"
"Miss Éclairisse! It's been so long!" Clemont exclaimed, quickly greeting the woman.
Ash and the others introduced themselves as well.
"Hello everyone. So you must be Bonnie—I've heard so much about you. Clemont always told me he has a very cute little sister, and I see it's true."
"Really? My brother talks about you all the time too. He says you're kind, beautiful, and would make the perfect girlfriend. Honestly, Miss Éclairisse, I agree! So please, take care of my brother—he's hopeless on his own, but with you around, he'd be so much better off!" Bonnie chirped innocently.
"W-Whaaaat?!" Clemont's face turned crimson.
"Bonnie! Your teasing causes me endless trouble!" Clemont sputtered, flailing his arms in panic.
"Take care of him…?" Éclairisse murmured, blinking in confusion.
"She means—marry my brother!" Bonnie declared cheerfully.
Éclairisse froze, her cheeks blazing red.
Before she could respond, Clemont frantically deployed his mechanical arm to drag Bonnie away.
Afterward, Éclairisse smiled softly and offered to give everyone a tour of the school Clemont had once attended, as well as the city's great Power Control Tower.
------
Meanwhile, Team Rocket had also landed in the city.
Blasted off by Salamence earlier, they had crash-landed here—and as usual, they were already scheming.
"Even though we never manage to catch Pikachu, nyah, we always stumble onto something valuable!" Meowth purred.
"That's right! This time, our target will be this city's Power Control Tower! We'll drain it of every last drop of electricity, and Team Rocket will finally rise again!" Jessie declared.
James nodded eagerly. "If we can control this tower, we'll have unlimited power at our fingertips!"
And so, the trio began setting up their machine to siphon energy.
But just as they were celebrating their progress—
"Luxiooo!"
A fierce roar echoed out as a Luxio suddenly leapt forward, blasting their machine with Discharge and completely destroying it.
"Wha—?! What do you think you're doing?! Do you know how hard we worked on that machine?!" Jessie shrieked.
"Luxio! Luxio!"
Meowth's eyes narrowed as he translated, "It says this city is a paradise for Electric-type Pokémon. If we dare to cause trouble here, we're its enemy!"
"Why you—! No one talks to Team Rocket like that!" Jessie snarled. "Pumpkaboo, go!"
"And Inkay, you're up too!" James shouted.
They hurled out their Pokémon.
Luxio was strong, but without a Trainer's guidance, it struggled to keep up in battle. After several rounds against Pumpkaboo and Inkay, it took heavy damage and collapsed.
"Heh-heh! Serves you right for meddling. Meowth, fix the machine!" Jessie ordered smugly.
But before Team Rocket could resume, Ash and the others rushed onto the scene.
"Luxio… it's you—it's that same Shinx from back then!" Clemont's eyes widened in shock.
Ash and the others quickly understood. The Luxio lying injured on the ground had the exact same gaze as the Shinx Clemont had once known as a child.
Team Rocket didn't stand a chance. Once again, they were sent blasting off.
Clemont then revealed the story of his past with Shinx.
Years ago, he had made a promise to meet Shinx, but he failed to arrive on time. Believing itself abandoned, Shinx disappeared, and Clemont had been unable to find it ever since.
And now—it had evolved into Luxio.
Luxio turned away, wounded pride still evident in its eyes, and walked off.
Clemont clenched his fists, his heart aching. He called after it with determination:
"If you still believe in me… if you still recognize me as your Trainer… then tomorrow at noon, meet me at the place we promised. In front of the Power Control Tower!"
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T/N:
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